LetterAgent
Mail physical letters by just asking your AI assistant.
Home > Guides > Shipping a rug
Roll the rug, never fold it: folding leaves creases that can take months to relax, and sharp folds can crack the backing. Roll it around a sturdy tube or into a tight roll, wrap it in breathable material first and then an outer layer, and ship it in a tube or a long box depending on size.
A rug is a textile under tension, and a fold concentrates all the stress on one line. Fold a rug and you get a crease; fold it for a week in a box and you get a crease that steams, weights, and time only partly fix. Fold a rug with a stiff backing or a glued construction and you can crack the backing outright, which is permanent damage. Rolling spreads the bend across the whole length, so nothing takes a sharp angle. This is the single rule that matters: every other decision is about how to roll and wrap.
Which way should the pile face? Roll with the pile facing inward toward the tube for most rugs: the face is the valuable side, and facing it inward protects it from scuffs and keeps the roll tighter. For very thick shag or high-pile rugs, pile-out can roll more evenly. Either way, keep the roll snug. A loose roll telescopes and crushes in transit.
Two layers, in the right order. The inner layer should be breathable: a cotton sheet, a rug bag, or craft paper. Plastic directly against a natural-fibre rug traps moisture, and a rug sealed in plastic through a humid warehouse can arrive with mildew. The outer layer is the armor: stretch wrap or a poly rug sleeve pulled tight, taped at the seams, which keeps the roll compact and keeps water out.
Tape the wrap to itself, not to the rug: adhesive on the fibers is a cleaning bill. If the rug is valuable, put a layer of acid-free tissue at the ends before the outer wrap goes on, since the ends take the most abuse. Tie or tape the roll at two or three points along its length so it cannot unroll if the outer wrap tears.
For narrow rugs (runners, small area rugs), a heavy-duty mailing tube or a triangular tube works and ships as a normal parcel. For wide rugs, you need a long box or a custom carton. A flattened box, cut and re-taped to the roll's length, is the classic DIY solution: score it, fold it around the roll, and tape every seam. Pad the ends with crumpled paper so the rug cannot slide out either end.
| Rug size | Best container | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Runner or small rug (up to about 3 x 5 ft) | Heavy-duty mailing tube | Tube diameter: a tight roll stresses the backing |
| Medium area rug (5 x 8 ft) | Long box or flattened carton | Weight: these cross into heavy-parcel surcharges fast |
| Large area rug (8 x 10 ft and up) | Custom long box; consider freight | Length limits: carriers cap box length, and oversize fees are steep |
Photograph the rug before wrapping, including any existing wear, and keep the receipt or appraisal if it is valuable. Declare the real value for insurance: under-declaring to save a small fee is how a damaged-rug claim pays out a fraction of the loss. For the shipping itself, a rug under 5 kg heading somewhere in Canada fits a LetterAgent Xpresspost label: ask your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, pay once through Stripe, and get the label PDF. Heavier or cross-border rugs go through the carrier directly, where you can also buy the declared-value coverage at the counter.
Ready to ship it? Get a shipping label with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and get your label.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
Need help? Ask your assistant: it can check a job's status any time. If it ever can't handle something: hello@getletteragent.com